Chapter 94: The Show’s Producers Know How to Have Fun

At nine in the evening, all the guests participating in “Shall We Swap? Exes” were roused from their sleep and assembled in the study of the presidential suite.

“Today, all four pairs successfully checked in at the three major attractions and returned to the hotel between six and eight o’clock. That means each pair is eligible to compete for today’s Best Partner award.”

“Traveling as a duo truly tests your mutual understanding. The first day’s journey has ended—how did you cooperate with your partner today? Are you satisfied with your partner?”

The staff’s words hung in the air and prompted each guest to ponder.

Satisfied?

Some were satisfied, some were not, and some hovered between the two.

“Based on each pair’s performance during the journey today, our production team has launched an online poll for ‘Best Partner’ on the domestic live-streaming platform. The poll comprehensively evaluates aspects such as communication harmony, alignment of opinions, capability matching, and enthusiasm. The pair with the highest number of votes from viewers will win a chance to grace the cover of EsBazaar fashion magazine.”

The staff finally revealed the mysterious grand prize provided by the show.

At that, the guests who had been sleepy and unconcerned about any so-called prize now all wore expressions of astonishment.

The pair with the highest compatibility will appear on the cover of EsBazaar fashion magazine?!

Is this for real?

Anyone in the entertainment or fashion industry knows: not just anyone can land on the cover of EsBazaar. Many popular artists in the industry have never had the chance, let alone those who have nothing to do with fashion or entertainment. None of the participants were without ambitions related to influencer or celebrity status—well, perhaps Zhang Chen and Ye Fangfei were exceptions.

Thus, for these guests, the allure of this reward was not its monetary value, but the added prestige it brought. In some circles, appearing on the cover of EsBazaar is a symbol of honor.

Who would have thought? The reward turned out to be this type.

Originally, the guests assumed the mysterious prize would be no more than a nice commemorative gift. Some wanted it, but didn’t feel compelled to compete fiercely just for it. Most of their competitiveness today was simply not wanting to fall behind their imagined rivals...

But once the prize was revealed, everyone sensed that things had changed.

This was a battle for resources.

Those who previously lacked desire to win began to develop new thoughts.

However, today’s outcome was already set.

Live-stream comments—

[Damn, the production team is really upping the ante]
[The resources this season are incredible]
[Is it really appropriate for a dating show to do this? Aren’t they afraid people will fake compatibility just for the prize?]
[Is it possible the production team is deliberately making everyone choose between interest and emotion?]
[This is a real test of human nature...]
[The more you think about it, the scarier it gets! The production team is really good at this!]
...

“According to the results from the online poll and comprehensive evaluation, today’s journey’s ‘Best Partner’ as chosen by the majority of viewers is—”

The LCD screen on the study wall suddenly lit up, displaying the voting results.

No.1 Lu Zhou & Ye Fangfei (Communication: 5; Opinion Alignment: 5; Capability Match: 5; Enthusiasm: 5...)
No.2 Wen Yiming & Chu Yao (Communication: 5; Opinion Alignment: 5; Capability Match: 4; Enthusiasm: 3...)
No.3 Xu Junze & Li Jiayan (Communication: 4; Opinion Alignment: 3; Capability Match: 3; Enthusiasm: 3...)
No.4 Zhang Chen & Qi Jiajia (Communication: 1; Opinion Alignment: 1; Capability Match: 2; Enthusiasm: 1...)
...

“Let’s congratulate Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei for becoming today’s Best Partner!”

The staff’s voice rang out as the guests gazed at the compatibility scores on the big screen, their expressions varied as they applauded.

Zhang Chen and Qi Jiajia’s scores, at the very bottom, were so low it was remarkable.

Live-stream comments—

[Those last-place scores really burn the eyes, haha]
[Their partnership made me laugh, but they truly aren’t a good match]
[I actually became part of deciding whether they’re compatible]
[This show is getting more and more interesting]
...

Wen Yiming looked at the screen, struggling to keep a smile from creeping onto his lips.

Seeing the compatibility scores given to Qi Jiajia and Zhang Chen made him laugh—it was obvious from their chance encounter today that they hadn’t cooperated well. He hadn’t expected their scores to be so low.

Chu Yao, Xu Junze, Li Jiayan, Lu Zhou and others were also surprised at their scores—just how little harmony did they have to get so many ones?

Ye Fangfei, however, wasn’t surprised.

She’d only dated Zhang Chen three times, but if she had to rate those experiences according to the show’s criteria, her scores would be much the same.

Also unsurprised were Zhang Chen and Qi Jiajia themselves; Qi Jiajia even felt the scores were a bit generous.

Neither cared how low their scores were—only the most compatible pair won the reward, and since neither had any interest in the other, their score didn’t matter. Now they were more focused on whom they’d be paired with tomorrow and what tricks the production team would play next.

After the compatibility award was announced, the production team moved on to the next segment.

“Time flies; one day has passed.”

“Tomorrow you’ll set out anew. After today, do you wish to continue traveling with your current partner? If not, who would you rather be paired with?”

“Can you get your wish? The decision is in your hands—and also in others’ hands.”

“Tonight, we’ll play a little game called: Word Formation and Sentence Building.”

“The rules are as follows, please listen carefully.”

“This game is not played in pairs. Everyone lines up in a single queue, alternating men and women. Based on the words randomly displayed on the screen, each person has thirty seconds to freely compose a reasonable sentence using all the words. Each person has three chances to get it wrong per round. After passing, the next person steps up with a new set of words.”

“On average, each person will be assigned three rounds. At the end, your accuracy rate will determine your ranking.”

“Tonight, the female guests have the initiative to choose their travel partners for tomorrow. Those with the highest accuracy can select first. Additionally, the male guest with the highest accuracy gains one right to refuse.”

“The format is similar to last night’s game. If there’s a tie, there will be a tiebreaker to decide the final ranking.”

“Everyone understands how to play now, right?”

The staff announced tonight’s game with a solemn air.

Having learned from last night’s game, the guests were already familiar with the general process and nodded in agreement.

Having lost last night’s game and suffered for it, Zhang Chen was now fully alert, ready for battle.

Lu Zhou, on the other hand, wasn’t concerned about winning or losing—tonight, the initiative lay with the women, and unless a man came first, there was little point. Considering the game’s design, winning depended on luck and timing, so Lu Zhou figured it wasn’t worth fighting for. He’d play along with a laid-back attitude, especially since he was tired and didn’t feel like taxing his brain.

For the women, winning was crucial—losing meant losing the chance to choose the partner they wanted. Since the journey’s rewards depended on partnership compatibility, picking the wrong person could mean losing everything. Realizing this, they all became serious.

Under the staff’s guidance, the men and women lined up in a long queue before the large LCD screen.

Next to them stood two staff members—one with a timer, one with an inflatable hammer.

Standing first, Zhang Chen glanced at the hammer, sensing trouble.

“Ready?” the staff asked.

Zhang Chen took a deep breath, reminding himself to stay calm. He’d suffered last time from forgetting poetry; he couldn’t lose again at sentence building. He had to focus and fight for first place!

“Let’s go!” After adjusting his stance, he rubbed his hands together eagerly.

The screen counted down from three, then displayed a set of words—

[Swimming; Fireworks; Shyness]

The thirty-second timer began.

Zhang Chen stared at the words, his mind racing. Worried about running out of time, he blurted out the first part of a sentence before he’d fully formed it:

“A woman is swimming shyly, and there are fireworks above her head...”

No sooner had he spoken than the inflatable hammer crashed down on his head, leaving him dazed.

Zhang Chen frowned at the staff member who struck him, craning his neck. “Not good enough?”

Staff: “Not coherent, too stiff.”

With time running out, Zhang Chen didn’t waste time arguing. He quickly came up with another sentence:

“A beautiful woman accidentally set off a big firework in the water while swimming and felt very shy!”

His excited delivery made the guests behind him burst into laughter.

Ye Fangfei gave him a look that said it all, thinking: What on earth goes on in his head...

The staff member waved him through.

Zhang Chen happily moved to the back of the queue.

Next up was Qi Jiajia. Perhaps caring too much about winning, she was a bit nervous.

“If I get it wrong, please go easy with the hammer or I’ll lose my train of thought,” Qi Jiajia said, smiling at the staff member.

The staff was merciless: “For fairness, we treat everyone equally.”

Qi Jiajia: “...”

The screen flashed a new set of words—

[Train Station; Closing; 120,000]

Qi Jiajia responded instantly.

“A train station with a daily passenger flow of 120,000 actually closed!”

So smooth it was unbelievable. After answering, Qi Jiajia flashed a confident smile. Why was she nervous? For someone who does simultaneous translation, these sentence-building games were a breeze!

The other guests behind her all exclaimed, “Wow!”

“Jiajia’s so quick!” Chu Yao remarked.

The staff smiled in satisfaction, waving her through.

Qi Jiajia moved lightly to the back of the queue.

Next up was Wen Yiming.

The screen popped up new words—

[Jumping; Pale; Computer]

Wen Yiming saw these simple words and frowned.

“I...jump while playing on the computer, and my face is pale?”

His mind tangled up, he spoke uncertainly, following his first instinct.

Bang—the inflatable hammer landed on his head.

Staff: “No.”

Wen Yiming, a bit dizzy, rubbed his ear and looked at the words again, trying again.

“I...while playing computer...suddenly jumped, my face turned pale and I collapsed...”

Live-stream viewers were in stitches—

[Why are you cursing yourself?]
[Do you have a grudge against yourself?]
[You’re ruthless]
...

Staff: “Time’s up.”

Wen Yiming: “...”

A bad start. Wen Yiming, discouraged, moved to the back.

Next was Chu Yao. With the time limit and hammer, she was nervous.

Staring at the words on screen—[Job hunting; Scorching; Skyscraper]—Chu Yao frowned deeply, baffled.

What even is this?

“I’m job hunting at the entrance of a skyscraper...scorching...”

She muttered the words, trying to form a sentence, but the staff thought she was answering, and the hammer came down.

“Ow, that hurts.”

Chu Yao rubbed her head, doubting her life, and looked at the words again.

“In the scorching heat, I’m job hunting at the entrance of a skyscraper?”

Another hammer blow.

Staff: “Not logical.”

“I’m job hunting at the sun-scorched entrance of a skyscraper...”

Finally, she came up with another sentence.

The staff waved her through.

Chu Yao breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to the back.

Next was Xu Junze.

The screen displayed—[Punching and kicking; Hotpot; Eye-burning]

“A crazy person is punching and kicking a hotpot, the chili water splashes everywhere, it really burns the eyes!” Xu Junze quickly responded.

The staff hammered him without mercy, “Are you writing an essay?”

Everyone laughed.

Xu Junze, thrown off, ran out of time and couldn’t form a proper sentence, crying out, “This one’s too hard,” and retreated.

Next was Li Jiayan, whose new words were—

[Rolls-Royce; Nanny; Tycoon]

“The tycoon’s nanny drove a Rolls-Royce to buy groceries!”

She answered instantaneously.

Staff waved her through.

“Lucky!” Lu Zhou laughed behind her.

Li Jiayan tilted her chin with a smile and happily ran to the back.

Then it was Lu Zhou’s turn. He stayed calm, indifferent to mistakes.

The screen displayed—[Flower sticking; Wandering; Toilet paper]

He raised an eyebrow at this odd set.

Ye Fangfei, behind him, laughed, “So unlucky.”

The others laughed too, waiting to see how he’d manage.

“Xiao Ming wandered the streets and found a flower stuck in cow dung...” Lu Zhou said whatever came to mind.

Bang! The hammer landed.

Lu Zhou: “...”

“Xiao Ming, while wandering, found a flower stuck in cow dung, wrapped it with toilet paper, and pulled it out...” As he said it, he could picture it, and looked instantly disgusted.

The others were already laughing hard.

Live-stream comments—

[I have to say, you’re quite talented]
[I salute your sentence-building skills]
[Xiao Ming is totally a tool]
...

The staff struggled not to laugh, but waved him through with a look of speechless resignation.

Ye Fangfei stepped up, still laughing.

The screen showed—[Spring night; Utter boredom; Motionless]

“???”

Seeing the words, Ye Fangfei’s smile froze.

Well, she shouldn’t have said Lu Zhou was unlucky...now it was her turn.

Everyone was stunned by these words. “???”

Live-stream—

[Whoa, is this a thing?]
[Definitely deliberate!]
[Production team, you really know how to drive a truck]
...

Both the audience and the guests waited for Ye Fangfei’s sentence.

Tick, tick, tick.

Ye Fangfei quietly said, “I can’t do it.”

With that, she simply moved to the back.

Everyone: “...”

Thanks to reader 20210212150050700 for rewarding 200 points; thanks to Jin'an for rewarding 100 points; thanks to Shitou Wuichiro for rewarding 100 points; thanks to Muxue Yeshan Baitou for rewarding 500 points.